Breaking Through The Darkness
by cherrydelightz
Summary: Jasper is a victim of child abuse, and when Carlisle finds him and takes him to meet his family - Esme, Edward, Alice, Emmett, and Rosalie - Jasper must finally realize what it means to have a family. One family's strength to survive all problems.
1. Traumatized

_**Disclaimer: SMOT. ( Stephenie Meyer Owns Twilight.)**_

_**Chapter One: Traumatized**_

Carlisle POV

"No, Ross. I'm not going to quit. You know how Caius is." I said, brushing the blond hair out of my eyes.

"Yeah, Carlisle, I know, but you know he's a money gaining doctor bastard," Ross said. Ross was a police officer and one of my good friends. We had been talking about my job – I was a clerk for the only doctor in our hometown, and also happened to own a ton of money. I had been the doctor's secretary for a while now, a couple of years, and though the job paid decently, Caius treated me like shit and everyone knew it. Today, Ross had been dropping me off to some address to leave a letter for one of Caius' friends.

"Thanks again, Ross. Now make a left here – yeah, right here. OK, this is the street. Wait outside, will you?" I said, as Ross parked on the street. I opened the car door and stepped onto the street.

It was a decent neighborhood, but seemed to be deserted. There was no one living in any of the houses. I wondered faintly what had made them move away. I looked at the address Caius had given me, and then checked the label on the street.

"Ross, sorry, you had to make a right, not a left." I said, making my way back to the car.  
Until I heard a scream.

The thing that made my stomach cold, and my spine melt. Because it wasn;t a normal scream. It was the scream of a child. I dropped the envelope that I had been holding, and I faintly heard the sound of Ross's car door open. I was already blindly running toward the sound.

The scream led me to a garage, and I could visible see my feet pounding as I ran towards the garage. The door was open, and my hand fumbled for a light switch in the dark.

As soon as the light turned on, I was frozen in shock.

A boy was there. Blood matted his features, and his blond hair was matted down to his forehead. It was clear from the dirt marks on his cheeks and the fresh scratches on his arms that his face had been pushed into the gravel of the garage. He was looking toward me in a almost numb face. There was a blond man standing over him, hand poised as if to hit him, ready to strike. The man's eyes were bloodshot and angry, and I wondered briefly if he was mental. My heart called out to the little boy on the ground, who looked like he was dead, and had been for a long time. I walked over to the boy.

"You're safe now," I said, too quietly for even me to be sure if I was saying the word aloud. The blond man started cursing, and as I looked at the resemblances between him and the boy, I realized with a start they were most likely a father and son. I heard the pound of footsteps nearing the garage.

"Carlisle? What the hell of a stunt was that and – what the _hell?_" Ross surveyed the scene before him and suddenly I felt the police officer in Ross come out. He turned to the blond man.

"You're under arrest for counts of child abuse." He said, already reaching for his handcuffs. The man's response scared the hell out of me.

He laughed.

"Damn! I'm under arrest! Ha! Well, Jasper, those years were good weren't they? Well, now the final game's ended, Jasper! You've _finally_ won! Finally! Damn! I should've killed you when I had the chance!" Ross, trained to handle this type of situation, handcuffed the guy and called backup almost immediately. In a few minutes, I heard the wail of sirens approaching. The boy – his father had called him Jasper – was still in my arms, and with a start I realized he was shaking. I tried to put my arms around him to steady the shaking, but he flinched away like it was a reflex. I looked over at Ross.

"You know what I want to do," I said to Ross. He looked up at me.

"Five, now, eh, Carlisle? Fine, but I'm not sure Esme will be happy," he said, looking over at Jasper. I looked up at him.

"Just do it, Ross," he said. Ross sighed.

"He's going to be yours officially by tomorrow, probably, with the connections I have," he said. Then Ross looked at Jasper, who was still shaking like a leaf caught in a terrible wind.

"Hey, buddy," he said, making his voice terribly soft. "You're okay, now, all right? You're just going to need to come with me for a couple of questions, ok? Or maybe – yeah Carlisle's going to take you first. I really don't want to traumatize you first thing. Just – don't be scared. You're safe." He finished. We looked quietly at the boy, and for the first time I realized he looked emaciated, and I wondered how much he'd gotten to eat in the last few days. He looked up suddenly, and hugged his knees to himself. His next words chilled me to the core.

"I won the game," he said, and his voice was quiet and soft, with a hoarse whisper layered underneath it. Ross looked over at me.

"Phil will drive you over to your house. You can take him with you," he said. I nodded, and held out my hand to the boy.

"Can you come with me?" I asked, reaching for his right hand, which was curled around his knees. He looked apprehensive, and after a few seconds he stood up, and limped his way over to me. I made a further thought to check out his ankle, and watched as Phil came over and ushered both of us to his car.

"Carlisle, you're going to take that one, too?" he said. I nodded, already wondering how Esme would take the news that we now had five kids.

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I held open the car door for Jasper, after thanking Phil for the ride. Phil smiled and wished me a good day, and I shut the door behind me. Jasper was staring up at the house.

"Wow," he whispered. I could see where he got that. Esme's parents were rich, but after she had ran away with me, they had cut off most of their connections with her. Esme visited them a couple times a year with the kids, minus me. This house was their gift after our first year of marriage, showing they sort of accepted me. We now lived in this house, though a whole decade's salary wouldn't be enough to buy at least half of it.

Jasper didn't seem to realize that I was walking toward the front door. I looked over at him.

"Come on, Jasper," I said. It was the first words I'd spoken to him since we were in the garage, and he limped quietly over to me.

"You're going to meet my family," he said. He didn't say anything, and I walked over to the house, looking back to make sure he was following me. I opened the mahogany door, and walked in to the living room.

Edward and Rosalie were bent over what looked to be a crossword puzzle, and Rosalie clapped her hands delightedly, and I guessed she had found the answer.

Emmett was doing some of his homework, and his brow was furrowed as he tried to figure the problem out. Alice was sitting at Esme's feet, talking animatedly about an event that had taken place today. I shut the door behind me, and everyone looked up to see me.

"Carlisle!" Alice squealed, and she ran up and laughed as I picked her slight frame up.

Esme smiled at me, and I smiled back. Edward waved a hello with Rosalie, both automatically turning their attention to the puzzle.

"Carlisle, can you help me with this problem? It's confusing," Emmett said, walking up to me. He stopped in confusion, and I wondered what he was looking at. Then I turned around.

Jasper had stopped next to me, and seeing Emmett looking at him, had dropped his gaze to the thick carpet beneath us. Esme looked up at me quizzically and then she realized what I had done.

Edward lifted his bronze curls to look at Jasper.

"And that makes five," he whispered. I felt more embarrassed than anyone else, and I looked down at the carpet, too, wondering when anyone else would say anything. It was finally Rosalie who spoke.

"What's his name?" she asked.

"Jasper," I responded. I looked at Jasper as if to confirm this; he had raised his head at the sound of his name.

Rosalie climbed over Edward to skip toward me. She tossed her long, golden curls behind her and looked at Jasper expectantly. She stepped one step forward. He took one back. She cocked her head curiously.

"Does he talk?" she asked. I nodded.

"He's just – shy." I said. The whole family had proceeded to crowd in a small semi circle around Jasper, Alice – who was still in my arms, and me. Emmett scratched his head.

"Why's his skin funny?" he asked. I looked down at Jasper's arms, which were littered with fresh bruises and old scars. I pretended to shrug nonchalantly while looking over at Esme, who had a knowing look on her face. I decided to speak to Jasper.

"Jasper? These are my children, and if all goes well, your brothers and sisters," I said. He didn't seem the least bit curious or anything, for that matter.

I pointed to each of them.

"Alice, Emmett, Rosalie, Edward, and my wife, Esme," I said, still waiting for him to say something. He instead took one more step near the door.

Alice hopped down from my arms and stood in front of Jasper. I had to try to hide my smile. Jasper was already tall for his age, and Alice looked like a little fairy. She cocked her head up to see all of him, and he bent a little down. I smiled softly while Jasper frowned at something, I didn't think to ask.

"Make him feel at home, okay?" I said, and walked over to the kitchen. I soon heard footsteps behind me, and Esme shut the kitchen door behind her, hoisting herself up onto the marble counter.

"Explain," she said softly. I smiled and leaned down and kissed her once, adding a little passion to the kiss, too. After she broke away, she smiled.

"Distractions won't work, Carlisle," she said. I sighed and took her hand in mine, tracing the skin.

"I found him," I started off.

"Yes?" she said. She gasped at all the right parts when I told the story.

"Who was it?" she asked, a little breathless that a parent could do those things.

"Ross told me the guy was spilling his guts over at the station. He said the guy might be a bit mental." He said. I looked at her softly saying

"I'm sorry," I whispered. She looked at me, bewildered, and raised my face to even hers.

"There's nothing to be sorry about. You _know_ that I'll always take a child in." she said. I sighed and kissed her quietly, reveling softly in the quietness of the kitchen.

The quiet never lasted for long.

There was some sort of whoop from the other room, and Esme hopped off the counter, walking with me to investigate.

Jasper was on the floor, somewhere between a jump and a crouch. His eyes looked different, negative somehow, and for the first time in my life, besides Rosalie, I was scared of one of my kids.

Emmett had grabbed Alice and put her behind him, ever the protector, and Edward had nearly jumped on Rosalie in trying to get her to stop running toward Jasper.

"What happened?" I asked, lowering my voice to make it clear I was a bit upset.

"I touched silver chain thing. And then he jumped – actually, flew is more like it – over there. All I wanted was to see what it was." Emmett said. Jasper had not moved from his spot on the floor. Esme sighed.

"Did anyone think that it's not good to touch other people's items without asking? Does Edward like it when you touch his piano without his permission?" she asked, putting on her disapproving look. Emmett walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Sorry, Esme," he said. She smiled slightly and ruffled his dark curls.

I walked a little carefully over to Jasper. He spoke first.

"None of them touches it." He said, with so much authority and confidence, I knew now that this "sliver chain thing" was possibly the only thing he cared about. It was so different from the broken boy in the garage. I nodded.

"Agreed. Is it special?" I asked.

"It was my mother's," he said, so softly, I could barely hear the words as they were spoken. I nodded again. Nobody moved.

Rosalie finally broke free of Edward's iron grip and walked over to Jasper.

"Are you any good at crossword puzzles?" she asked him. He stared blankly at her, taking two steps back. She took one step forward.

"Well, if you are, can you help me with this one? _A child whose abuse and neglect are started from a early age from a parent or a parental figure will be this word for the rest of his life._ 11 letters. Ends with 'd"." She looked at him expectantly.

Jasper fled from the room.

When he was gone, everyone's silence got louder. I closed my eyes and whispered the word.

"Traumatized," I said. Rosalie looked at me.

"What?"

"Your word. It's traumatized." Rosalie wrote it in.

"Yeah, you're right." She bit her lower lip and looked up at me.

"What did I do?" she asked softly. Rosalie vulnerable was a rarity, and I kneeled down and encased her in a soft hug.

"Nothing, Rosie, nothing. Jasper just needs…time. You see, in this world, there are certain parents who don't treat their children…right. Like the way Esme and I do. Jasper grew up in one of those families, so he's…different." I tried to severely edit my explanation, but add in so she would understand. I knew she did when I felt her hug me back.

"Then we'll just have to make her feel at home, right?" she said. I nodded into her hair and took my face out of it. I looked at both Edward and Emmett. Neither of them would like this.

"Guys…Jasper needs a place to sleep. Now, Rosalie and Alice are already bunking together, so I need one of you to let Jasper stay in your room. One of you can't have an individual room anymore," I explained. I waited carefully for the rain of shrieks to come down but they didn't.

"Sure, no problem," Emmett said and the exact same time Edward said "I never really liked having a room to myself anyway." I felt a surge of pride for both sons, and I looked over to Rosalie. She was grinning, obviously happy that someone wanted to accept this stranger. I looked over to Alice, who was looking over to me. Esme cleared her throat.

"Well, Alice is bunking with Rosalie, so Edward is bunking with Jasper, and Emmett gets his own room." Everyone silently accepted the remark, and I wondered to myself where Jasper was.

"He didn't run away, did he?" I asked. Esme nodded a no, shaking her head, and motioned quietly to the window overlooking the doorstep.

There was Jasper, angling his face, closing his eyes. I realized that he was feeling the rain come down on his face, and it might have been a luxury for him. Esme grabbed her coat and went outside to talk to him. I looked at the rest of my children.

I didn't give my children a bedtime. I gave them more liberal freedoms than any normal parent usually did. I allowed them to stay home by themselves when Esme and I were out, and I let them have free reign of when they wanted to do homework or go to bed. I saw Alice merrily skip off.

"Well, Carlisle, I'm going to bed!" she sang out. I smiled as Rose followed her. I looked toward Emmett, who had left also.

"And then there was one," I said to Edward. He looked up at me.

"I'll go when Jasper comes in," he said, and I nodded.

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Edward, true to his word, only retired after Jasper had taken a bath and found the right clothes to fit him temporarily. Finding clothes for Jasper seemed to be a problem. I was right before when I said he was emaciated, you could see the muscle and bone underneath his pale skin; he was skinnier than both his brothers. But, Jasper was also taller, so that changed things. I ended up just giving him a shirt of Edward's and a pair of Emmett's pants. He looked small underneath the mounds of cotton.

Feeding Jasper proved to be a problem, too. He had said he didn't need it, and when Edward had purposefully put a piece of bread in front of him and said for him to eat it, Jasper had whispered he would throw up if he did. Edward didn't believe him, and under Edward's hawk like gaze, Jasper slowly ate the bread.

Jasper was not lying. Since his body had not been accustomed to this much food, he had retched in the downstairs bathroom.

Edward and Jasper had just recently gone to sleep, even though the most Jasper had said through this entire night was about five lines. I hoped Edward wouldn't be too scrutinizing. I looked over to Esme, who had just finished her chores, and was wiping her hands on the white towel in front of her. She looked over at me.

"I wish they get along," I said. She didn't say anything, just looked at me for a second.

"The Volturis are coming tomorrow." She said. I groaned and she laughed, then walked up and pressed her face to my chest.

"He's traumatized," she said, and I could feel her lips moving through my shirt.

"I know," I whispered, and slowly ran my fingers through Esme's caramel hair.

The moon whispered silently along, secretly bringing a promise of tomorrow.

_**So, what do you guys think? I've had this idea rotating around in my brain for quite a bit, so I just decided to write it down. Reviews are greatly appreciated!**_


	2. Spiraling Squares

_**Disclaimer: SMOT.**_

_**Chapter Two: Spiraling Squares**_

Jasper POV

I woke up with the nightmares again.

I glanced slowly at the place around me. It was dark, just like everything else in my house, but the thing underneath me was…soft. I glanced down at sheets and a pillow. A bed? James had let me sleep on a bed?

There was not only one bed in the room, but two. Strange. I glanced over to the other bed, where another boy was sleeping.

Where was I?

The strange boy turned around to face me, and I froze in the position I was in. I heard him mutter something in his sleep.

"Rosalie…" he said, with a hint of annoyance in his tone.

I suddenly remembered where I was.

James was not here. He was somewhere else. I was here. With Carlisle's family. I sank back into the sheets once again, letting the merciful sleep overtake me.

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There were hands on top of mine, holding them together. My eyes shot open to find a golden haired angel staring at me. Rosalie.

"Finally! I thought you'd never wake up!" I sat up and looked at my restrained hands and the mess of sheets on the bed.

"You were having a nightmare and clawing at yourself," she explained, looking down with me. I nodded, a little relieved it wasn't anything else.

Rosalie cocked her head at me, and I shut my mouth, not wanting to say anything else.

"They dressed you in bad clothes. I can barely see you! Well, no matter. The bathroom's that way." She said, pointing. "Well, I'll be waiting here until you're done," she said. I nodded and walked over to do my new routine.

She was sitting there after I came out. She was laying on my bed, flipping through a book on the desk next to Edward's bed. She tossed the book behind here as I came in.

"OK, let's go! Esme's got breakfast, and I can smell it from here," she said, taking my hand to climb down the stairs. My head hurt a little, but I didn't want to mention it. Rosalie's face started swimming a little, and I rubbed my left temple. She turned around.

"Are you feeling well?" she asked. I stared back. She sighed and took me into the well-lit kitchen.

The sun was shining through glass windows, which were pretty, decorated with carvings on the sills. Rosalie's siblings were sitting around the table with Carlisle, Edward talking to him while Alice and Emmett were having a war with their forks. I looked over to Esme, who was spooning something into a jar, and I watched as Rosalie made her way over to the table to sit next to Emmett. She patted the empty chair next to her.

"Sit, Jasper," she said. I walked over, and the table became slanted again. I finally made my way over to the chair, hoping it still was there. I heard Carlisle whisper something like "malnutrition" to Esme, and then I watched the kids eat their breakfast.

I guess you could say that I never really sat at a table under normal circumstances with James. In the morning, it was always a different type of hell, because all night I would think about what game I would be playing the next day. But as I sat there was the Cullens ate their breakfast, I couldn't help but feel a slight bit peaceful.

"Oh, guys, I just want you to know that the Volturis are coming today, in a little while. I want you all to get ready, ok?" The chorus of groans following the statement came from everyone except me. Even Carlisle groaned. Esme tutted.

"But Esme, you know Laurent is a lying wench who beats everyone up until we bleed. And Jane and Alec are just plain creepy. And their mother doesn't even do anything about it," Alice whined. Esme sighed.

"Let's all be nice to them, ok? You know their father is Carlisle's boss, so let's try to keep this meeting peaceful," she said.

"You hate them too," Rosalie pointed out. Esme didn't say anything, and her eyes flickered over to me.

"Oh, Jasper, I bought you something to wear early in the morning. You'll wear it, ok?" she said. I didn't really answer, just looked over at my empty plate, a little wary.

"Oh, Jasper, are you hungry?" Emmett asked.

"No!" Edward, Carlisle, Esme, and I said at the same time. Emmett raised his eyebrows but didn't say anything. Esme held Alice's hands at the table.

"Now, remember, don't do anything to egg Laurent on, ok? It is, after all, Jasper's first time meeting them, and who know maybe Jasper will be the friend Laurent needs. Maybe he just doesn't get along with all of you," she said.

There was silence for a second.

All the kids burst out laughing at the utter preposterous notion of this remark. Esme glared at all of them until they all quieted down, Alice stifling her final giggles. Edward grinned.

"Well, I think we're actually going to have some quality bonding time with Jasper with trying to pull Laurent off of him," he said. Alice laughed. I stared down at my plate. Who was this Laurent? Jane? Alec?

My head suddenly hurt, and the plate began rippling before me. I reached up to rub my head.

I was interrupted by a slight pressure on my arm.

"Jasper?" Esme asked.

"I'm fine," I said softly. She nodded, though I could tell she didn't believe me. She motioned to me.

"Why don't all of you get dressed?" she said, motioning for Edward to take me. Rosalie and Alice rushed up the stairs, Emmett bumping into Edward while going upstairs. I sat until they were all gone. Edward waved over to me.

"Let's go," he said. I turned once around to look at Carlisle and Esme, both of who offered me a reassuring smile.

I turned up and followed Edward.

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I stared at myself in front of the mirror and wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.

Esme had gotten me clothes, and they fit well, though they were a little (a lot) loose on me. The black pants had come with a blue shirt and a tan coat.

I wanted to laugh at the child in the mirror. Did he know what I faced everyday? The feeling right before the hand came down on you? The desperation for the need to win a game?

Yet, at the same time, I wanted to cry. This was how my mother would've dressed me, all dolled up in front of the mirror. Edward was behind me.

"You look better than before," he said. I looked over at the boy in the mirror.

"He looks nice," I said. The boy in the mirror wasn't me. Could not be me. Edward shrugged at my comment, and then tensed when he heard the sounds of people downstairs.

"They came early," he said, just as Alice, Rosalie, and Emmett barreled into Edward's room.

"They're here," Alice said, then scowled. Rosalie and Emmett shuddered.

"Well, we've got to go downstairs," he said. The proceeded to file out the door, Rosalie last, as she stopped to take my hand.

"Be on your guard," she said.

She had no idea I had been on my guard since the day I was born.

Rosalie went downstairs with me. We watched the family. A bigger boy, Laurent, I assumed, was grinning at Carlisle and Esme. His doting mother patted his hair and laughed. The two kids behind their mother were giving Edward glares. Edward walked into the room with Emmett and Alice. I watched as the mother smiled at them, talking sweetly. Rosalie turned to look at me.

"Ok, let's go," she said. Her hand squeezed mine tighter, and she pulled me into the living room.

The other family turned to watch me and Rosalie. I looked at the floor, and my head started to hurt again. I stopped her in the middle of her walk.

"Rosalie…my head hurts," I said. I almost slapped myself for saying that. Never show weakness!

Rosalie turned around to face me, concerned, and put a hand to my forehead.

"You don't have a fever…" she muttered. "Does it hurt a lot?" she asked.

It was killing me. It felt like something was slamming my head into a wall.

"It's fine," I said quickly. I was only slightly aware of the whole room watching our exchange. Rosalie continued to the woman.

"Hi, Athenodora," The woman smiled at Rosalie.

"Oh, you look gorgeous, honey!" she said. Rosalie pasted a smile on her face.

"This is my newest brother, Jasper," she said. Athenodora looked down at me.

"Well, such a handsome young man, aren't you?" she said. I didn't answer. Everything was swimming. Rosalie squeezed my hand a little bit painfully, as if willing with her movements to make me speak.

The floor was dangerously low now. I felt sort of out of balance, like I would fall over any second. Athenodora was clucking now.

"Carlisle, you got a lad with no manners?! He comes from a poor family, I bet you. Look at him, not even answering my praise. You should be thankful, boy, that Carlisle even took you in," she started.

My head was getting rolled over by a truck.

"…I mean Carlisle, the first thing you have to do is teach this boy some manners, I mean look at him…" I didn't hear what she said after that.

The floor was mercifully solid as I half collapsed onto it, with only Rosalie's arms catching me a little from the floor. She sat next to me.

"Jasper, are you sure you're ok?" The next thing I heard was screaming from Athenodora.

"Carlisle! Carlisle! The boy's bleeding!" she said, and Carlisle ran up. I looked down at the cut on my wrist which had opened up again.

"He's bleeding on my shoes, Carlisle!" she said. "Do you have any idea how much these cost?" My head was hurting more with the screaming she was doing, and I reached up to massage my forehead. She opened her mouth to scream once more, and I snapped.

"Can you shut the hell up for one second, woman? My head's killing me and you're not making it any better with your incessant screaming!" I yelled. The room was frozen. I watched as she opened her mouth and closed it. Her face turned red.

"Look, you evil little boy! I'll smack the hell out of you if you don't shut up! I can make you bleed till you cry!" she said.

"Good god, do it then! It's already been done before!" I said right back, and then I pushed up the sleeve of my jacket and shirt to reveal all the scars and bruises that were painfully obvious against my alabaster skin.

She recoiled instantly. I stood up and pressed my left hand against the open wound on my right wrist, watching her. She looked at Carlisle.

"I can't believe you took him in," she said to Carlisle. I started walking back to the stairs, turning around once.

"And I can't believe someone married you," I shot right back. Her eyes widened, and I looked over to Rosalie.

"Can you help me clean this up?" I said, motioning to the wound. She nodded and followed me, a little smirk at her lips. There was screaming coming from outside the door of the bathroom, but I didn't really care anymore. Rosalie smiled at me.

"You are my new hero," she said. I tried to smile, but it felt like my head was splitting. Rosalie reached into the cabinet and put bandage on my wound. I wanted to lie there on the floor. Rosalie reached up to pat me lightly on the arm.

"You're ok, right? Does your head hurt?" she asked, reaching back to smooth a piece of hair on my forehead.

My head is killing me, Rosalie. Save me before I die here in the bathroom.

"I'm fine, just felt a little dizzy over there," I said. She raised an eyebrow. I looked at her. She sighed, and took my hand again, making sure to steer clear of my wrist. I followed her and she led me back into the living room. Carlisle and Esme were speaking quietly to Athenodora and when I came in, her face went hard.

Rosalie smiled softly to Athenodora. Athenodora decided to ignore me and went back to talking to Carlisle.

Rosalie opened the back door to the large expanse of grass behind it. There was a small tree down the meadow place, and Edward was hanging upside down from a branch. It took me a minute to realize that this was because the raven haired boy, Laurent was holding him there, while trying to dodge Edward's bites.

"Great," Rosalie muttered sarcastically. Alice was on Laurent's back trying to take a bite out of it, while Emmett was encouraging her on. Rosalie looked at me and we soon descended to where Laurent was.

As soon as Laurent saw Rosalie and me, he dropped Edward and tipped, causing Alice to tumble to the floor. There was a "Ouch" coming from Edward, and Laurent grinned at Rosalie.

"Hey," he said. Rosalie sneered.

"Did I _tell_ you not to touch them?" she asked. He looked me over once.

"What can I say, Rose? The Cullen kids are fun to torture. Except you, of course," Rosalie rolled her eyes.

Laurent turned his gaze from Rosalie to me.

"Hey, freak," he said. I remained wisely silent. He stepped one more closer. Rosalie cursed under her breath.

"You insulted my mother today?" he asked.

Yes I did.

I said nothing.

He loomed over again. Though he was taller than Edward and Emmett by a couple of inches, he beat me by only one.

"You know, freak, you're ugly. What are you doing holding my girl's hand?" he asked. His raven hair came even closer, and his eyes, I noticed, were gray.

Rosalie has a pretty green dress on. It's slightly green, like the sea, and her hand is gripping you tighter.

Laurent took one step forward. I didn't even flinch.

"You are one ugly little thing, you know? And you better apologize to my mother and Rose. For touching her." Rosalie's voice came out of nowhere.

"Laurent, what the hell? You do this every time. Can't you find someone else to torture besides my siblings?" There was a hint of panic in her voice and I wondered what was wrong. Surely they would do something if anything happened to any of them.

"Now you've brainwashed Rose into thinking you're good? You're just like every other sibling of hers. Evil." He said.

Don't talk. He'll blow off.

"Talk, freak, talk!" My silence was annoying Laurent to no end.

Don't talk, Jasper.

Then, suddenly, Laurent's right fist pulled back and I was literally propelled a few feet behind. I could taste blood, it was leaking onto my chin. I put a hand to my split lips. It was minor cut. That was good. And then I laughed mentally as I though about what I would do. This boy was not my father. I could best him, too.

Laurent stood breathing a little hard, while Edward rushed a little forward. I didn't say anything.

While everyone watched me breathlessly, waiting for my reaction, I used my right index finger to make the cut a little bigger. Then I used my tongue, licked all the blood off my lip, and smiled at Laurent.

"You're a freak!" he shrieked. I shrugged.

"Blood tastes good," I offered. He grimaced in disgust.

Hey, if I was going to be a freak I might as well do it thoroughly. I peeled off the bandage from my right wrist and started licking that, too, watching as Laurent shuddered and turned for the house.

After he had gone, Alice started giggling only to be replaced with a frown.

"You disturbed Laurent. He'll tell his mother, and then you won't be on good terms with her," she said. I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes.

"Oh, believe me, after that little scene in the living room, I doubt he's on good terms anyway," Emmett said. He said something else but I couldn't hear it. Emmett's face started getting dangerously dizzy. My head was doing that pounding thing again.

This time, when I met the floor, my eyes didn't open.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

"Jasper?" The voice was Carlisle's, but it was softer, quieter. There were other voices in the room, too. I could make out Athenodora and Laurent, and I could hear Edward's right next to me as well as Rosalie's.

I cracked one eyelid open.

The bright light hurt my eyes a little, but I knew that I was in Edward's room, on the bed I had slept in last night. I slowly cracked the other eye open, blinking furiously.

"He's awake," Emmett announced.

"Slightly unnecessary to point out," a voice said. The voice was softer, a female's voice, but harder at the same time. I tried to turn my head around, but then decided against it. The voice came in view, a boy trailing after the girl. I took them to be Jane and Alec. I turned my eyes around. There was Rosalie, sitting on the bed next to my right arm.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey," I responded. My voice was more of a whisper than a sound, but I knew she'd heard me.

The unpleasant sight of Athenodora's face filled me now.

"Thank goodness you're awake! Look what you did to poor Laurent! Him trying to befriend you, and you trying to split your own lip open! I don't know what that abusive haggard of a father taught you, but that's not how we make friends here. You've traumatized him, I say! You're lucky he's a forgiving person…" her words trailed off as Carlisle put his hand on her arm gently.

"Athenodora," he warned lightly. She let Carlisle take over.

"Jasper, does your head hurt at all?" he asked.

It feels like someone has tried to rip it off multiple times.

"It's fine," I answered.

"He's lying!" Rosalie, Edward, Emmett, Alice, and Esme all said. Carlisle sighed.

"I figured as much," he said. He looked pleadingly towards Athenodora.

She nodded and whispered to him, and then Jane and Alec followed her out the door. Laurent mouthed "You're dead" to me, and then followed his siblings. As soon as everyone heard the sound of a front door shutting, they all let out a sigh of relief. Esme looked over at us.

"Alice, want to tell me what really happened?" she asked. Alice related the story with complete details, adding in sound effects, too. Esme cursed under her breath. Edward jumped onto the bed.

"So, why did Jasper faint, Carlisle?" he asked. Carlisle looked at me.

"It's because of malnutrition, just as I expected. Jasper, have you ever had steady time for meals?" he asked.

I haven't been getting any meals, Carlisle.

"No," I responded.

"When was the last time you had a steady schedule of meals?" he asked.

"Can't remember," I said. Emmett snorted.

"Well, it must've been a long time, then, because when I carried you in, you were as light as Alice, maybe lighter. Now that's a feat to accomplish," Emmett said. Alice grinned. I sat up.

The room was a little dizzy, and my head hurt a lot.

"Are you hungry?" Carlisle asked.

I shook my head no. I looked at my wrist. There was a new bandage and my lip wasn't bleeding anymore, though it stung a bit.

"Jasper, what do you want to do now?" Carlisle asked.

I would get in trouble. They would call me crazy. But I knew that in this moment, there was nothing more I wanted to do. So I said it.

"I want to go see my father."

_**Well, there you go. Second chapter is up! Hope you guys like it and hope you review! I respond to every one.**_


	3. Breaking Point

_**Disclaimer: SMOT.**_

_**Chapter Three: Breaking Point**_

_**Carlisle POV**_

"_I want to go see my father."_

I shook my head to make sure what he was saying was real. I looked at Jasper. The blood on his lip was gone, replaced with a thin line, and his wrist was newly bandaged. He had some scars on his neck and god knows where else, and he had just fainted because of malnutrition and had found himself an enemy with Laurent.

And he wanted to see his father.

For one tiny, miniscule second I wished it was me he was talking about. I wished it was me he was referring to as his father.

My family was as shocked as I was. And why shouldn't they be? Could you imagine going back to the person who ruined your life and broke you into a million pieces?

Could you imagine them breaking you again?

I looked carefully at Jasper, and there was something in his eyes that I couldn't identify. Esme's eyes were just about boring a hole into my back.

"Jasper…you want to go see…your father?" I asked slowly.

He nodded. I sighed.

"Fine," I said. I could feel Esme now mentally preparing to kill me. Dang. I tried to mentally tell everyone to please get out of the room. Edward saw my pleading eyes, grabbed Alice, and stole out of the room quietly. Emmett followed with Esme. I was left with Rosalie. She didn't budge.

"Rosalie?" I said. She looked at me in the Shut-up-Carlisle way and I sighed and looked at Jasper.

"We can see your father – at the police station, if they let me and you go," I said.

"And Rosalie," Rosalie said. I didn't want Rosalie to go. I mean, she had entered the police station with me before, but I wasn't sure if I wanted her to see Jasper's father. I had no doubt that Rosalie knew what my badly edited explanation meant, and I had no wish for her to see this person up front and up close.

"And Rosalie," I confirmed. Jasper looked at me.

"When can we go?" he asked.

"Tomorrow evening," I answered. Ross had called me this morning and said that Jasper's father was getting shipped to the intensive center tomorrow morning for some more progressive questioning, and I knew they wouldn't let us in. I felt a little bad for betraying my children, but a father's got to do what a father's got to do. Jasper looked at me like he could feel my guilt, and it was making me slightly unnerved. I decided to try the question again.

"Are you hungry?" I asked.

"No," he responded yet again.

"You've got to eat sometime," I said, fixing my eyes on him. He looked down at his hands.

"Your head's going to hurt even more, you know. And you'll faint more, too. And then, if it gets too serious, we'll have to take you to Laurent's father, to get treated," I said. "You've got to eat."

He went on studying his hands until Rosalie jumped to defend him.

"He can eat whenever he wants, Carlisle. Really, stop scaring him!" she said.

You'd think I was her child and she was my parent. I decided to do something.

"Rosalie. Can you go downstairs and tell Esme to get some bread. Make her put some homemade jam on it, too. Just one piece. And get a piece for yourself, if you'd like." I said. She raised her eyebrows, but complied, racing down the stairs calling Esme's name.

"I'm not going to eat it, you know."

The voice was so soft, so different from the scream to Athenodora, that I almost forgot that this was his regular voice.

"We have to try," I said. He nodded.

Rosalie came sprinting back up in record time, holding a plate with the piece of bread on it. She had gotten one for herself, but had not eaten it yet.

"That's funny, Rosalie. I thought Esme's jam on bread was one of your favorite foods," I said. "I'd though you'd eat it by now."

Rosalie rolled her eyes, then sat in the sea green satin dress she was wearing, right next to Jasper.

"When he eats," she said, "I eat."

The answer was so plain and simple. I looked over to Jasper, who had looked at the food like it was some sort of punishment. Very slowly, he picked up the bread and took the tiniest bite I had ever seen.

Rosalie picked up her bread and ate the exact same amount as Jasper.

Jasper bit again.

Rosalie bit again.

This continued until Jasper had taken about five bites in total. He put the bread back on its plate.

"I told you," he said. I shrugged. Rosalie finished off her bread, and raced with the plate downstairs to give to Esme.

"It's a start," I offered to Jasper. He hugged his knees to himself.

The door opened again, but instead it was Alice who popped her head in.

"Carlisle! I can't find my navy blazer!" she said. I sighed.

"Why do you always have to lose a part of your uniform, Alice?" I asked. She grinned.

"But I find it every time," she responded. I agreed with her on that. Rosalie came bursting in with Emmett a few minutes later.

"Carlisle! Guess which idiot ripped up my English homework?" she asked.

"It was an accident!" Emmett protested.

Edward burst in a moment later. Great, we were having a party.

"Carlisle!" he said. "Have you seen my piano sheet music? Mr. Johnson is going to kill me if I don't have it," he said. They all started speaking insanely at once until Esme came in.

"Carlisle, Caius called, he said you've got another holiday tomorrow, because he's going on a vacation," she said. "What is everyone doing in here?" she asked. I raised my hand to shut them all up.

"Alice," I said. "Speak."

"I can't find my navy blue blazer," she said.

"It's on the bed, dear. Not yours, Emmett's." Esme offered.

Rosalie raised her hand theatrically and told me the story of Emmett ripping up her English homework.

"Emmett, go help Rosalie rewrite it," I said. He stayed put just like Alice and Rosalie. They would all exit at once.

"Edward, your sheet music is next to the plants, the way you left it yesterday morning," I said. "Really, is keeping track of your stuff for school really that hassling?" I asked.

"Yes," they all said. Esme was staring at Jasper behind me.

"Jasper should go to school," she said. I blinked.

"Of course he should. Esme, you said I had an off day tomorrow? We'll arrange it tomorrow, then," I said. I turned my head to Jasper, who had improved from staring at his hands to staring at his knees.

"What grade would you be in, Jasper?" I asked. He looked at his knees a little more carefully.

"Fifth," he said. Rosalie grinned.

"He's with me!' she cooed. Emmett stuck out his tongue.

"Edward and Alice got fourth grade, you and Jasper have got fifth grade, and I'm stuck in sixth grade all by myself," he said, pretending to pout. I smiled at Emmett's childish behavior.

"Emmett!" Rosalie said, slapping his arm. "You have to help me, remember?" she said. He nodded, rubbing his arm.

"Carlisle, could you pass that book?" she said, motioning to the book on Edward's desk. I passed it to her, and she flipped to the bookmarked page.

"Ok, Emmett. Listen to the passage first. It's Shakespeare, by the way. Anyway, here it is: "What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god!" she began. Surprisingly, Jasper, still staring down at his knees, began to recite the rest of it from memory.

"The beauty of the world, the paragon of animals—and yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust? Man delights not me—nor woman neither, though by your smiling you seem to say so." He finished. Rosalie raised an eyebrow.

"You like-" she said.

"Hamlet?" he said. "I just remembered that part because me father used to say it a lot in the morning before we played-" He broke off.

"He used to be an English professor," he said, as if this explained everything. We all nodded. Rosalie tugged Emmett out of the room. Alice skipped out daintily, while Edward raced after her. There was Alice's squeal and I heard a crash downstairs. My eyes locked with Esme's.

"I'll check it out," she said. Once again, the room was just me and Jasper. He looked over at me.

"I'm going to sleep," he said.

"Okay," I responded. I didn't really know what to say. Thank you for saying more than five lines? I'm happy you're talking to my beautiful daughter? I walked slowly out of the room when I remembered something. I flicked on the lights with my right hand and stalked over to Jasper. Without asking, I lifted up the end of his pants leg, he hadn't bothered to change out of his clothes, and Jasper sat up like bullet.

"I need to check it out. You were limping," I said. He looked as if he was going to disobey, but then quietly laid down on the bed again, his golden hair flashing in the dark.

"It looks worse than it feels," he whispered. I nodded, not entirely believing him, and looked at the path in his ankle.

There were raw, red welts all over, disgusting scratches that had been made with something sharp. The skin was raw and borne away, and some flesh looked a little malicious. I cringed at the sight of it, and gently ran my fingers over a large mark. Jasper winced underneath me, and the mark looked a little like an animal would make if trying to get out from a particularly difficult trap. I shuddered, not wanting to ask, somewhere already knowing what his answer would be.

"I'll bandage it," I said. "Or you could have Dr. Caius look at it." His voice came again, laced with deep undertones of a feeling I couldn't place.

"I'd rather it be you," he said. I didn't know what to say to that, with my throat all closed up anyway, so I just carefully went into my room to get my necessary things. And even when I was bandaging it, I could hear laughs and shouts from downstairs, and I made my touches soft, wincing when Jasper cringed. For just one moment, it was just me and my son in the room, the rest of the world far away. After I was done bandaging his ankle, I looked over at Jasper's face, golden locks covering his forehead.

He was asleep.

I carefully brushed stray hairs out of his face, and walked downstairs, my throat still closing for an inexplicable reason. I sat down on the couch with Rosalie and Emmett, both bent over a sheet of looseleaf and the book. Edward had brought out my outdated chess set and was silently playing with Alice, while Esme offered tidbits of advice to both of them. I put my arm around Rosalie gently, and she turned to smile at me, gold hair brushing my arm. I smiled back, reaching over her to offer my help on her homework.

But, in the end, we all felt it. That dire part, that something was missing in this picture. We all knew he was upstairs, most likely still sleeping, yet we still felt the hole that he wasn't there, and that sort of need to protect him.

I took a piece of paper from Rosalie's pile and begun crumpling it, a game I always played with myself. I crumpled the paper, and destroyed it beyond measure, but the point was to never let the paper break apart and rip. I grimly thought of Jasper, wondering how many times, he was crumpled to the breaking point, but shied away by a miniscule measure. Slowly, almost painfully so, I started smoothing the paper to the point of obsession, and I knew, that without a doubt, that I was going to smooth Jasper out as well.

Whatever happened, I wasn't going to let him break.

xoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxooxoxox

_**So, guys, I ditched my English project because I had to get another chapter in for you guys. I got a lot of alerts last chapter, which made me ecstatic, and I'd love if you guys dropped me a review. I respond to every one!**_

_**cherrydelightz**_


	4. Savior

_**Love you guys. I do. Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter. And I know this one's a bit short, but hey, I've got a lot of homework. Break is coming up though, so updates should be coming quicker. I'll give you my whole review of the Twilight movie later, I saw it on opening night! Yay!**_

_**To anyone who read the stupid author's note so far – you rock. **_

_**And also, anyone have any nice stories to tell me? I'm not a vampire, and I get bored easily, so stories are always pick-me-ups. **_

_**And what did everyone think of the movie? **_

_**By the way, to anyone who cares, I'm currently reading The Host, so no spoilers!**_

_**All the alerts and favorites had me crying tears of joy, and I'd love if you reviewed!**_

_**And I love you if you caught The Breakfast Club reference, which is my fave movie!**_

_**Disclaimer: SMOT. John Hughes owns TBC.**_

_**Chapter Four: Savior**_

Jasper POV

If there was anything I ever loved, it was shopping with Esme. Esme was like an animal, tossing me clothes, judging me quickly, and tossing ones she liked in Carlisle's waiting arms. She didn't once ask me if I liked it or not, which put me into a sort of blissful state.

I didn't really like to talk much.

Esme was currently judging me on a hideous blue plaid shirt. She cocked her head to the side, caramel waves falling over her right shoulder, and I had an immediate urge to capture her in this moment.

It's what I did, really. I captured things that I liked and kept them softly stored inside the vast expanses of my mind, until I could find a piece of paper to draw my pictures. To escape things, a lot of people fall into their minds. I did that, too. Just differently. I drew everywhere when I lived with my father: on the garage walls, on my hands, in the dirt behind the house.

"No, it looks bad," she said. I gratefully went into the dressing room and stripped off the shirt. I might not be the most attractive boy – scars can do that to you – but I was sure I looked ten times more hideous in the blue shirt.

"Esme, sweetie, don't you think we've got enough clothes already?" Carlisle's voice was exceptionally tired, and I couldn't blame him. He was probably carrying about ten pounds of boys' clothing in his arms. I had offered once, quietly, to help, but he had shaken it off like he hadn't needed any.

"Esme! Carlisle! Mama, look!" I was suddenly and keenly aware of a new voice, a girl's. There was a run of footsteps, and I knew a girl had joined Esme and Carlisle in the hallway outside of my dressing room. I pressed my ear to the door to listen.

"Maria, sweetie, how are you? Why aren't you in school with Rosalie?" Esme asked.

"Oh, I had a doctor's appointment and had to leave early. Mama decided to stop by the mall on the way home." Maria told her. I assumed she was one of Rosalie's friends. I wondered if I should get out of the dressing room.

"So, Maria, has Rosalie told you about her newest brother?" Carlisle asked. I heard a pause, and I wondered if Maria had rolled her eyes.

"Are you kidding, Carlisle? She talked about him all morning! It's like he's some kind of idol or something. 'Oh, Jasper's _so_ nice and quiet. I wish he'd talk to me more.' 'Oh, you know what _Jasper_ did? He talked back to Laurent's mother! Isn't he so _brave_?'" I was a little interested that Rosalie had talked about me.

"She totally overdid the newest brother. I was willing for my best friend to shut up all during my classes. I mean, how good could he be?" Maria asked. The door chose at this moment to give, and I stumbled forward to see a brown-haired girl with Esme and Carlisle. My blond hair fell in front of my eyes, and I shook my head to push it back.

"Maria," Esme motioned, "meet Jasper."

Maria was standing there a little shocked, with her mouth hanging a little open. Once she saw me looking, she blinked, and then offered up her voice to say something.

"Wow."

Carlisle laughed.

"Rosalie wasn't kidding…" she trailed off, and then blushed and looked at her feet.

"_Ay mio dios, el es muy guapo. Mama!_" she said, and then went running out off the little opening. Carlisle chuckled.

"Well, look at that. Maria finally got a crush on Jasper here," he said, laughing and nudging my shoulder. I blinked. What?

"She _likes _you!" Esme said. Oh.

I shuffled my feet and stared at the ground. The fact of someone liking me was a little hard to handle. Everything had been a little different since Carlisle had picked me up that rainy day. Had it only been two days? Carlisle was now talking with Esme. They were whispering, but my ears had long since gotten used to the sound of whispers.

"Maybe we should leave him home…" Carlisle was suggesting.

"All by himself?" Esme retorted.

"Well, the school might be a little too much to handle. You and me go there, and we'll fix it up so he can start attending school in a couple of days, and Jasper can stay home. We leave our kids alone all the time." Carlisle said.

"Yeah, but it's usually with each other! And besides, he's only known the house for two days. I don't want him to get scared or anything," Esme replied, tilting her head again, waves falling over her right shoulder.

"Esme…I don't know about you, but I think that Jasper is the toughest out of all the kids," Carlisle said. Esme stood up from the small bench she was sitting on.

"Carlisle, I don't know about you, but I'm positive that he's the most fragile." She stalked out in the way Maria had left, obviously a little irritated. Carlisle turned to me.

"Jasper, you wouldn't mind staying home alone, would you?"

Do I look five to you?

"I…don't really care," I answered as honestly as I could. I missed Esme and the no talking phase.

He offered a half-hearted smile.

"Come on, let's go get Esme before she either cleans out the mall or finally realizes that she made a mistake marrying me." He laughed, as if it was a well-known joke. I, personally, had no idea what he was talking about.

Carlisle's little joke turned out to be a bit real, as Esme was heaving armloads of clothes onto the counter. The saleslady was smiling sweetly, and her smile was genuine. The lady behind Esme, though, was enunciating annoyance in her stance, tapping her foot angrily.

"Oh, Mrs. Cullen, it's so nice to see you here!" the salesperson said. She eyed the armloads of clothes.

"Another kid?" she asked. Esme smiled, blowing stray curls off her face.

"Yeah. We got him two days ago."

It seemed like they were all talking about a puppy or a lamp. I didn't see myself as any of those things. I did not make little children laugh or light up people's lives. As if.

The lady behind Esme was now trying some tactic of coughing too hard. Esme was too absorbed into talking with the saleslady, and she didn't notice. Carlisle did, and he shifted nervously next to me.

"Esme, dear? Could you hurry up with that?" he called to her. She turned around and nodded, not really paying attention. I shuffled my feet one over the other. Carlisle checked his watch.

"It's already one? How long have we been here?" he muttered to himself.

"Give it back!"

"No!"

Carlisle and I turned toward the sound of the ruckus. A little boy was reaching for some kind of weird action figure with a torn cape. He had tried jumping for it, but it was held by an incredibly tall boy, maybe seventeen, who looked to be his babysitter. The boy was now trying to jump higher in a futile attempt.

"Give it back!" he screamed again. Irritated Lady rolled her eyes. Esme and the saleslady turned toward the two boys.

Even as the emotions flitted across the boy's face, I could sense every one of them. Determination, longing, fear, desperation. They were all there. And then I felt another one, this time coming from me.

Anger.

I was angry at everyone for not saving this little boy's action figure. Everyone, even Esme and Carlisle, kept staring at this desperate boy. I clenched my hands into fists, and breathed once.

"Please give it back."

Weakness and surrender.

The last stage before the blow.

The older boy laughed, and taunted the younger.

"Why, you want this? Too bad!" he mocked, and then threw the action figure behind his head, where, in the weak state it was in, it would be sure to crash into pieces.

I was off before I even knew what I was doing. It was like a reflex, the running, this strange surge of adrenaline to get to a place fast enough. Right now, as always before, my eyes were trained carefully on the prize, which was hurtling toward the wall. I zoned out everything else, and pushed myself a little faster, jumping a little to finally catch the little doll in my right hand.

When I landed on the floor, the boys had quieted. I turned around, and looked toward the younger boy, and saw the last emotion on his face.

Hope.

I wanted to scream at him, right then, because I was undeniably jealous. I was jealous of the hope that filled his face, the hope which had ran away from me long ago. Without a word, I walked to the little boy, administered a small nod, handed him the figure, and walked past the older boy, past Carlisle, past the armloads of clothes, past Irritated Lady, and out the door of the mall.

It turned out not to be a very smart move. After I had calmed myself down a bit, walking through the halls and escalators of the mall, I realized I had absolutely no idea where I was. I could use a directory, or ask an authority figure, but I had long since decided to rely on my instincts, and I didn't want to go back to where Carlisle and Esme were.

A security guard was patrolling the halls, young by the look of it, obviously new by his arrogant swagger. There was a rush of static by his hip, and he pulled out the little microphone.

"What? Blond hair? What's he wearing? Brown jacket and jeans. Got it. Hey, any other stuff? He's got a what? Bandage on his wrist? Ok, I got it. What's his name? Jasper? Ok, I'm on patrol on the first floor, I'll look for him." He pressed a button on the little speaker, tipped his hat, and started scanning his eyes over the crowd. I didn't move. The guy could find me if he wanted. I didn't care. I pulled a little on my mother's silver chain, feeling the warmth of it under my palm.

I had a couple of options. One was very simply to let the security guard find me, go home, and let everything continue. Another was wander around for a bit in this strange mall. Third was to find my father, who I was probably never going to see again. Carlisle was not a good liar. And lastly, I could just walk out, and go wherever I chose. Maybe wander around in the streets, get a breath of fresh air.

I chose option four in a heartbeat. I knew that I wanted to go out now, and then I realized the security guard was blocking the exit.

Well, a Whitlock knows how to be clever.

I went into the nearest store, ignoring the looks all the women and a few men gave me. I looked toward the pink walls of the store and the women's clothes.

Woops.

I went into a nearby dressing room, and forced myself to ignore stares. I was used to them. I took off my jacket, folded it, and put it on the floor. I slowly took the bandage from my wrist and jammed it into my pocket. I couldn't do much about the rest, so I came out of the dressing room, and clambered out the door of the perfume smells and corny sniffs. I walked swiftly toward the exit, trying to accentuate my height a little, and suddenly I was face to face with Hello My Name Is Jake.

"Hey." He offered. He took in my appearance. I could almost see the gears turning in his head and smell the oil.

Blond hair…check. A kid alone…check. Jacket…no. Bandage…no. An even play.

I raised my eyebrow, and hoped I was charming and likable enough to get by. This was difficult for an antisocial child like me.

"Hey," I responded, quickly and efficiently. Hello My Name Is Jake cocked his head to the side.

"How old are you?" he asked. I rolled my eyes, and did my best to look huffy.

"What the hell does it matter?" I tried to look like my father blowing off one of his beer buddies. Hello My Name Is Jake studied me for a minute, and then pulled out his Mall Security badge.

Oh crap.

"What's your name, how old are you, and why are you here?" he quizzed.

"James Whitlock. I'm thirteen, almost fourteen." He assessed me and deemed this as appropriate, waiting for my last response. I blinked.

"You don't seem to be shopping." He retorted. He was right. My hands were empty.

"I'm…" I searched my mind. "I'm an artist! I came here with the community center, and we're going on a field trip to places to give us young artists inspiration." It was a stupid lie, but perfectly fabricated, because the sign above his head said the community center was coming today. And if my intuition proved correct, this guy was new, and didn't know what time they would be arriving.

Hello My Name Is Jake smiled and nodded at my lie.

"Oh yeah, please excuse me. We've got a missing kid." I nodded my head, trying to be sympathetic. He stepped aside and let me pass, waving as I left.

Idiot.

The fresh air was extremely nice. It was a cloudy day, and I wondered if it was going to rain. I regretted leaving my coat inside, because although I was wearing a long-sleeved white shirt, I was still cold. I wondered which way to go.

Right or left?

I choose right, and began the uphill trek through the streets. There were almost no people on the streets, and those who were happened to be carrying umbrellas as the first drops fell. I reveled in the rain. It was a pure delicacy, and I tilted my head to allow some of the drops onto my face.

I hadn't known how long I had been walking when the dizziness seized me again. I blinked and tried to clear the swimming. My head started pounding almost instantly and I leaned against a building to steady myself. Maybe I would rest here for a while. The rain was coming down in torrents now, and I realized I was soaked to the skin, freezing, and in danger of having a fainting spell.

Hello My Name Is Jake was an idiot and so was I. We should've got together and went bowling.

I wondered how I would get home. Would I even get home? I shrugged my shoulders to myself, and rubbed my hands together, trying to get the feeling back in them.

All at once, the gates to my building lean-on opened up, and kids wearing navy blazers, slacks, and skirts, came out, rushing into waiting cars from the downpour, or holding umbrellas over their head. So I was leaning against a private school? How strange.

The familiar warmth of the chain bought back feeling to my fingers at once, and I blinked furiously again, to get the spinning shapes out and to clear the water.

More kids came streaming out, like hordes of navy-clad soldiers. It took some time, but finally the gates were closed and did not open again. I looked at the sky. I guessed it was about five. I wondered if too much rain could kill you. If it did, I had nine lives, that's for sure.

"Jasper?!" It was a breathy gasp, and suddenly I realized what building it was. And exactly what school it was.

What a horribly good coincidence.

Rosalie came rushing out, holding her hands over her head.

"Jasper? What are you doing out there without an umbrella? Are Carlisle and Esme with you? Come inside!" She didn't wait for an answer just strolled inside, expecting me to follow her. I thought for a mere second before stomping up the steps into a little lobby of the school. A security guard's nameplate was on the desk, but the guard itself was missing. On a table pushed against a wall sat Edward, and Emmett, with Alice in between them. Alice jumped down from the table and looked at the sopping wet state of me and at Rosalie.

"Is Carlisle here?" she asked, looking from both our faces to the others. Rosalie looked at me.

"N-no," I stammered out. Something about this place was unnerving.

Edward raised his eyebrows.

"No? Then how are you here?" he asked. I sighed.

"And why are you so wet?" Emmett added, looking at the puddle at my feet.

"Carlisle's so in for it," Rosalie muttered. "My show comes on in exactly 40 minutes, and if I miss it…" she trailed off. I ran a hand through my hair and came out with a handful of water.

I was wet.

"It's my fault he's not here," I whispered.

"Your fault?" Alice asked.

"We went to the mall," I answered. Edward shuddered.

"I remember my first time there with Esme. She bought up the whole store. Is that's what taking him so long?" he asked me. I shook my head.

"I kind of…ran away."

"What?!" Rosalie exclaimed. I cringed at the loud noise out of instinct and habit. Rosalie lowered her voice.

"Was Esme that bad?" she asked. I shook my head no.

"Then why'd you leave?" Alice asked.

I muddled my brain for possible answers, but I had zero. It had seemed so right at the time, but now I wasn't so sure. I shrugged.

Emmett groaned.

"Great. It's raining like hell out there, we have exactly zero umbrellas, Carlisle and Esme are looking god knows where for Jasper, who turns out to be a freaky mentally disabled runaway." He said. Rosalie bit her bottom lip.

"Well, I could call Maria again. I have her home phone." Rosalie offered.

"You already did that." Edward said.

"Well at least I offered a suggestion!"

"A dumb one!"

"Shut up!" Alice screeched. I rolled my eyes to the security desk.

"Nobody there," Alice said to my glance. I twiddled my thumbs.

"We could just walk home," I offered quietly. Four pairs of eyes scrutinized me.

"In this weather?" Emmett asked.

"And get our uniforms ridiculously wet, possibly get the flu, and be half paralyzed from all that walking?" Rosalie said.

"And without umbrellas?" Edward asked. They looked toward each other. I shook out my hands. If they weren't going home, I sure was. Or going in whichever direction my instincts told me to go to. I turned around and started for the exit.

Shoes followed right behind me, and I felt Rosalie's hand slide into mine. I stopped and she stopped right behind me and sniffed.

"Well, I wasn't going to let you go alone, was I?" she asked. I smiled inwardly, and Alice came bounding over.

"Well, I know the way home. Besides, I like rain." She said. Edward and Emmett soon followed.

"Ok, so we're all walking? Everybody know the way exactly?" Emmett emphasized.

"I do," Alice said. Rosalie nodded.

"So we good?" she asked. Everyone affirmed a stiff nod. I made space for Alice to come in front of me and she danced quietly in front. I could physically hear the rain beating down on the roof, and Alice opened the door, we climbed down the steps, and into the rain.

The rain seemed blinding. It was making heavy noise, and I would be pleasantly surprised if it didn't flood. Everyone was soaked, and we hadn't made it through a minute. The drops were so hard, it felt like a rock every time one hit my shoulder.

"You know where we're going?" Rosalie called to Emmett. He shrugged and pointed at Alice.

She walked up the block, and we followed her. She seemed so small compared to the looming trees and the rain.

"She's going to fall," Edward muttered. Alice was wearing little flats, and I didn't think she was going to fall, but a panic seized me inside. Rosalie ran towards me and walked quicker, and I tried to focus on Alice, her black hair camouflaging with the dark and rain.

"Everyone good?" I asked.

They all muttered grunts of agreement. I was afraid we'd lose Alice in the dark, so I ran to catch up with her.

"Alice!" I called. She didn't hear me and kept walking. I ran up quickly and scooped her up in my arms. She squealed and turned to face me, bits of rain falling from her face onto me.

"We're going to lose you," I said. "Tell me which way to go," I said. She pointed right, and I heard the sounds of footfalls as everyone ran to catch up with me and Alice, who was still in my arms. I finally realized how cold it was when Edward, on my left, started shivering, just like Alice in my arms.

"How many more blocks?" Emmett whispered.

"A lot," Rosalie answered. He sighed.

"Don't we look the happy bunch? Five kids walking around in the rain like insane maniacs," Edward muttered. I felt bad at making them walk, and I felt my hand going for my chain, as always.

The walking continued, and the rain did not let up. I considered seeking refuge in the big house on this street.

Wait.

That was _the_ house! We had made it! I knew we did when Emmett gave a whoop of glee, and Rosalie muttered something on the handiness of umbrellas. We were all soaked through our clothes, and I kept a tight hold on Alice, as if to warm her. Rosalie was still holding on to my arm, and I felt Edward on my left and Emmett on Rosalie's right. We all walked together and Rosalie pushed the door, surprised to find it unlocked. We all entered, nobody caring that we had rain everywhere. We all walked to the living room, and I felt Alice lean against me, possibly trying to rub the water off her hair. Suddenly, I stopped.

Carlisle had dropped the cellphone he was carrying and Esme had jumped from her perch on the table at the sight of all five of us, especially me, who had gone missing. They both blinked at us. We stayed silent, four waiting for an apology, and one ready to give one. Alice neatly jumped from my arms, and planted herself next to Edward. Esme stared at us all. Then, quickly, she walked toward me.

I squeezed my eyes shut and braced myself for the blow.

It never came.

Instead, I felt her hug me, and I could smell the jasmine in her hair. I was a little confused. She just kept on hugging me, and I could tell Carlisle was apologizing to the remaining four. When Esme backed up from me, I could actually feel her relief, and it felt bad, like a slap to the face. I was guilty.

She looked into my eyes, imploring. I couldn't even get my words out right. I wanted to apologize for the worry, but I couldn't. I could feel my throat close up, and I knew I must've looked horrible.

I didn't know what to say.

It turned out I didn't have to say anything.

She took me into her arms again, and I could feel her love almost pour into me. I buried my face in her jasmine hair, and the rain from mine slipped into her locks.

What she did know was that I was safe.

What she didn't know was that currently, the water seeping into the side of her neck was not only rain.

_**I'd love if you reviewed! =]**_


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